The Future of Automation: How New Wiring Technologies Will Reshape Automotive Wiring Harness Production  

When we stop to admire the sleek appearance and intelligent configuration of modern cars, we seldom notice the crucial yet low-key and concealed presence inside the vehicle - the wiring harness. In the complex systems of automobiles, wiring harnesses are like the blood vessels and neural networks of the human body. Although they are not eye-catching, they undertake the crucial mission of energy transmission and information interaction. With the rapid development of the automotive industry towards intelligence and electrification, the traditional production method of wiring harnesses has increasingly become a bottleneck restricting the progress of the industry. The breakthrough innovation of the new generation of wiring technology is completely transforming the production landscape of automotive wiring harnesses and leading the entire industry towards an automated and intelligent future.

Industry challenge: The Development predicament of traditional wiring harnesses

Limitations of the production mode

Due to its soft and irregularly shaped characteristics, wire harnesses are difficult to be assembled automatically and currently mainly rely on manual operation. This model leads to a labor cost ratio as high as 95% and low production efficiency - the workload that traditionally requires 6 to 10 people can be handled by just one person on an automated production line. Manual operation also brings about quality stability issues, with a persistently high failure rate.

Design complexity

Modern automotive components amount to 20,000 to 30,000, scattered throughout the vehicle body, and rely on wiring harnesses to achieve interconnection. The irregularity of the interior space of a car often forces the wiring harness to be arranged in a circuitous way. The length of the wiring harness in traditional models generally reaches 5,000 meters, which not only occupies space but also increases weight and affects the driving range performance.

Standardization and Supply Chain

There are over 200 types of connector specifications, and the lack of unified standards has increased the complexity of production. The Ukraine crisis in 2022 exposed the vulnerability of the supply chain. As Ukraine is an important production base for wiring harnesses in Europe, the disruption of the supply chain directly led to a decline in car sales.

Demand for new energy vehicles

High-voltage wiring harnesses need to meet requirements such as high voltage, large current, and high protection level. Lightweighting has also become an important development direction. Traditional craftsmanship has become difficult to meet the new technological demands.

Technological breakthroughs: Four Major innovation directions

Innovation in electronic and electrical architecture

The emergence of centralized architecture has changed the limitations of traditional distributed architecture. Tesla was the first to integrate multiple ECU functions into a few domain controllers, reducing the length of the wiring harness from the traditional 5,000 meters to 1.5 kilometers. Cybertruck has further reduced the total number of wiring harnesses by 77%. Domestic automakers such as Zero Run Auto have launched the "Four-Leaf Clover" architecture, which achieves a central supercomputer through two chips and successfully keeps the weight of the wiring harness at 23 kilograms, reducing the weight by 15 kilograms compared to the traditional architecture.

Modular design

By dividing the functions into basic modules and functional modules, the standardized production of wiring harnesses has been achieved. A certain heavy-duty truck model has adopted modular design, dividing the chassis wiring harness into 11 basic modules, which has increased the design efficiency by 40% and reduced the types of wiring harnesses by 30%.

Automated production

Kunshan Huguang has achieved full-process automated production through intelligent transformation. The intelligent wire warehouse processes 5,000 barrels of wires every day, achieving a zero error rate. The number of production line personnel has been reduced from 200 to 20, and the production cycle for high-voltage wire harnesses only takes 20 seconds. The Ethernet production line of Langfang Leni can complete the operation of 64 workstations with a single device, and a signal transmission line is offline in 4 seconds, replacing the workload of dozens of people.

New materials, new processes

Copper alloy materials can achieve a weight reduction effect of 10% to 20%, and aluminum alloy conductors are also gradually being applied. New insulating materials such as polytetrafluoroethylene can work stably at a high temperature of 150℃. The eSPDM intelligent wiring technology can save up to 90% of materials. The coaxial power supply technology simultaneously transmits power and data through a single cable, significantly simplifying the overall vehicle design.

Future trends: Intelligence and sustainable development

Intelligent evolution

Wiring harnesses are shifting from passive transmission to active perception. Integrated sensors can monitor operating parameters in real time, enabling self-diagnosis and predictive maintenance. Byd's intelligent wiring harness monitoring system is a typical representative of this trend.

Wireless development

In non-critical transmission scenarios, wireless connections are gradually replacing physical wiring harnesses. With the maturation of wireless charging technology, power supply harnesses are expected to be further reduced.

Lightweighting and greenness

New lightweight materials and structural optimization can reduce the weight of wire harnesses by 15% to 25%. Environmentally friendly materials and recyclable designs will become industry standards, promoting sustainable development.

Standardization and platformization

The standardization of connectors will enhance the universality of components. The platformization strategy can reduce development costs by more than 25% and shorten development time by 30% to 40%.

Conclusion

The technological innovation of automotive wiring harnesses is driving the entire industry towards greater efficiency, intelligence and environmental protection. From traditional manual production to intelligent automated manufacturing, from distributed architecture to centralized control, every technological breakthrough is reshaping the industry landscape. With the rapid development of new energy vehicles and intelligent connected vehicles, wiring harness technology will continue to innovate, providing solid support for the transformation and upgrading of the automotive industry. In the future, automated and intelligent wiring technologies will lead the automotive manufacturing industry into a new stage of development.